In this town he has been referred to as one of the best hockey players in the world, but apparently Team Canada has a different impression.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux was left off the Canadian Olympic team. Giroux said all the right things to the media after learning of his fate on Tuesday morning, but later that night he let his actions do the talking. Against the New Jersey Devils, Giroux was extremely active and punched in a third-period goal to tie the game.

Granted, when many decisions were being made regarding Team Canada, Giroux was in an awful slump. He didn't score his first goal until the 16th game of the season. But since then, he has been on a tear with 13 goals and 19 assists. More importantly, the Flyers' record has improved along with Giroux's performance on the ice.

Team Canada went with 14 forwards and there is speculation that Giroux's former teammate, Jeff Carter, got the roster spot ahead of him. Carter has more goals (15) than Giroux, but the Flyers' captain has 13 more points and is arguably a more important player to the Flyers than Carter is to the Los Angeles Kings.

I doubt anyone in Philadelphia would take Carter over Giroux. The Flyers made that call a few years ago and it worked out for Carter with a Stanley Cup ring. Perhaps Giroux's time will come to lead this team to a Cup.

As disappointed as Giroux is for being snubbed, it could work out for the Flyers in a big way. Once the Olympic break ends, Giroux will be fresh and ready to go. Five Flyers will represent their respective countries in Sochi. It is a great honor to play in the Olympics, but selfishly, Flyers fans, Giroux's absence from the winter games might be the perfect scenario for the second half of the season.